I think I’m right in saying that of all the London boroughs, Tower Hamlets has been in the news more than most regarding cycling fatalities in the past few years. Three people have been killed at the notorious Bow roundabout alone since 2011.

A number of others (some can supply the exact figure) have also lost their lives along Bow Road, Mile End Road, Whitechapel Road and Aldgate High Street. All those deaths occurred on the Cycle Superhighway 2 (CS2).

There are also accidents waiting to happen on the CS3 in Limehouse, particularly by the junction of Branch Road and Horseferry Road where motorists are given little chance when cyclists are directed their way, against the flow of traffic, in a one-way street.

To be fair to John Biggs, he has been campaigning at City Hall on these issues for years.

Boris Johnson has repeatedly ignored demands to make Bow roundabout safer for cyclists and pedestrians. Today I am asking to meet Mayor Boris Johnson and demand he act immediately to make the Bow roundabout safer and undertake an urgent review of the Cycle Superhighway in Tower Hamlets.

So, despite his love of chauffeured Mercs, you’d fully expect him to accept an invitation from the group representing cyclists in Tower Hamlets for a hustings in Bethnal Green tonight.

For the first time in London’s political history, a campaign group is aiming to lobby 6000 local election candidates to help make streets safer and more inviting for everyone to cycle.

With the mayoral elections taking place on May 22nd, local cycle campaign group, Tower Hamlets Wheelers have arranged a Q&A with election candidates. With the majority of candidates confirmed to attend, we have a unique opportunity to put forward our questions and influence future decision makers on why cycle safety needs to be a priority.

We are inviting local Tower Hamlets residents to come along – ask questions, share their views or simply hear what the candidates have to say: When: Wednesday 14th May at 7.00pm Where: St Margaret’s House, Old Ford Rd, E2 9PL

The borough council controls the vast majority of roads in Tower Hamlets and the mayor is in a uniquely powerful position to influence and implement cycling friendly policies. This is our chance to let the next mayor know how important Space for Cycling is.

Tower Hamlets Wheelers tell me the following people have confirmed their attendance:

John Biggs (Lab)

Reetendra Banerji (Lib)

Nicholas McQueen (UKIP)

Hugo Pierre (TUSC)

Chris Smith (Green)

Chris Wilford (Con)

They’ve emailed and called Lutfur Rahman’s office several times, including an email to his agent, Cllr Alibor Choudhury (on an email address I know he monitors).

They’ve not had any reply.

So it looks like he’s ducking another Q&A with residents.

UPDATE: 2.15pm

Seconds after I published this blog (and after having checked with Tower Hamlets Wheelers), they emailed me to say that at 2pm today, Lutfur’s office had replied. Lutfur won’t be attending tonight, but they say Alibor Choudhury will attend in his place. They provided no reason for Lutfur’s absence and I wonder whether the other candidates will even accept this.

Well I think having hustings to get candidates to declare will result in very much better informed voters going to the polling stations.

That and the fact that their lives might be on the line if the next Mayor doesn’t ensure cycling in Tower Hamlets is a lot safer than it has been during the Rahman Interegnum. That seems likely to provide some sort of incentive!

I think both of those give “the red card” a run for its money 😉

(Do you think the media clever clogs at Rahman Election HQ gave any thought to ‘the red card” and its connotations among football fans? Just saying…..)

Stand on any major-ish road in Tower Hamlets and look at the ethnicity of the cyclists going past. That’ll tell you all you need to know about why the ‘Mayor’ is finding something else to do this evening.

However Rahman has repeatedly and reliably left no room for doubt whatsoever in what he does and who he targets. I don’t see that there is any room for doubt whatsoever here, nor in any other aspect of his electoral campaign. Can you see any?

[QUOTE]the head of the group’s umbrella organisation, London Citizens, said it’s letter, which had actually been sent weeks before, was no endorsement, and called the Mayor’s statement “unhelpful”.[ENDQUOTE]

I disagree. He had no problem facing up to John Ware on Panoraman, for example. He handled Ware brilliantly.

Do not forget Lutfur was a partner at a respectable legal practice. As a lawyer, his persuasion and debating skills were put to the test regularly. He excelled in his career and then came to politics. He is not your typical career politician that we have an abundance of these days.

He had no problem facing up to John Ware on Panoraman, for example. He handled Ware brilliantly.

I watched the program and that was not my opinion.

Do not forget Lutfur was a partner at a respectable legal practice. As a lawyer, his persuasion and debating skills were put to the test regularly. He excelled in his career and then came to politics. He is not your typical career politician that we have an abundance of these days.

Fatal logic error here – something a good lawyer should always avoid.

(1) working at a respectable legal practice. does not confer respectability on an individual because the practise has the respectability according to you.

I thought there was serious debate about whether The Despicable Rahman ever was a solicitor? As I recall, there is precious little evidence he ever qualified as anything, suggesting that the heights of his career were probably as a back-room paralegal in some small practice of no note whatsoever.

I’d add that in my experience of dealing with him he has seemed to be in danger of being outwitted by a pot plant; to say he isn’t the brightest bulb in the box would be a SIGNIFICANT understatement. If he ‘handled Ware brilliantly’ then I dread to think what a poor performance would look like.

Ted, let us agree to disagree about how Lutfur came across on Panorama. But, one thing for sure – it boosted his ratings massively. My friends in other boroughs said that Lutfur must be “sqweaky clean” if that is all BBC could show or say about Lutfur!

Lutfur’s legal career: after gaining a law degree at City University London, Rahman worked as a solicitor at Maxwells Solicitors from 1993 to 2002. From 2002, he specialised in family law at McCormacks law firm, becoming a partner of the firm from 2005 until 2010. He was a member of The Law Society Advanced Children’s Law Panel, and was chairman of Tower Hamlets Law Centre from 1996 to 2001

As a reader of this blog, below are my top 10 reasons for re-electing Lutfur as mayor:

1. Ted Jeory will have much to write about on this blog and reveal yet more shocking revelations from the town hall like the mayor spent money on renovating new offices for himself.

2. We can learn how the BBC spends our licence fees to inform us on Panorama that the mayor was indeed exercising his executive powers by increasing funds to community groups.

3. We can be dazzled by vivid imaginations of conspiracy theorists like Lutfur is turning TH into an Islamic Republic.

4. We can look forward to lively council meetings. Let’s face it, in other boroughs, there is no excitement in their council meetings. Nobody tries to film it for sure. In Newham, for example, they last barely half an hour.

5. We can look forward to a phenomenon known as ‘jumping ship’ whereby Labour councillors jump to join Lutfur’s administration.

6. People who post comments on this blog with their weird, wonderful and whacky ideas can continue for another term.

7. The racists in our midst can be exposed who operate under various pseudonyms i.e. ‘madmullahofbricklane’ and ‘YouCouldn’tMakeItUp’. These racists saw Lutfur’s +10 leaflet and revealed their xenophobic mindset bringing up female genital mutilation, how women are treated as objects and inferior to men etc. The other racist (Terry Fitzpatrick) continues to harrass his victims on this blog even after getting a criminal conviction for aggravated racial harrassment.

8. More East End Life.

9. Borough’s youngsters are in suspense to see what car Lutfur will get next. I am also in suspense.

Vote UKIP in TH to get councillors with real-world experience who will know how to run a council, manage budgets, get rid of all the nonsense, abolish the non-jobs, de-fund the special interests.

People like our mayoral candidate Nicholas McQueen – who, along with his wife – has operated various businesses, with hard graft. Or myself, an IT Consultant and company director with a real job in the real economy, doing something that people actually make a free choice to pay for.

I can’t think of any one of our candidates who is a “community organiser” or who works for a fake charity or has a parasitic public-sector / quango non-job.

If you continue with your ridiculous accusations about me making xenophobic or racist comments I shall report the matter to the Council’s Returning Officer (given Ted’s views as to who you are) and to the Police. Please understand that what you have said so far entitles me to do this.

This would probably involve investigating the records of your internet activity and you are doubtless aware it’s not difficult for the Police to track down who you are.

Bear in mind that if you are a Councillor (which I am not) and/or you are a supporter of a Councillor or Mayor endeavouring to be elected (which I am not) that your comments may well be judged to come within the scope of Section 106 of The Representation of the People Act 1983 given the fact that you made them within a post about “my top 10 reasons for re-electing Lutfur as mayor”.

My understanding of the legal position is that you don’t have the scope to describe yourself simply as “a reader of this blog” if you are either a Councillor or active in the election campaign. What you write is part of the campaign material and hence comes within the scope of Section 106.

Do you really want to test out the tough new monitoring arrangements for this election?

(P.S. There is a legal requirement to have a Head of Paid Service who is normally the CEO, a Section 151 Officer who is normally the Director of Finance and a Monitoring Officer who is normally the Head of Legal Services. There are very good reasons for the legal requirements – not least the illegal and inappropriate activities of people who have been elected to office in the past.)

Sorry to tell you – there’s no crime in the above. s106 concerns false statements about candidates’ character and even if you are a candidate, it would not apply here as the statements were not made about anyone recognisable on the ballot paper. And the principles of freedom of expression mean we do not tend to criminalise words in this country, save incitement etc.

Neither could you sue for defamation of character in the civil courts – as your identity is unknown and therefore your character intact.

(1) A person who, or any director of any body or association corporate which —

(a) before or during an election,

(b) for the purpose of affecting the return of any candidate at the election, makes or publishes any false statement of fact in relation to the candidate’s personal character or conduct shall be guilty of an illegal practice, unless he can show that he had reasonable grounds for believing, and did believe, that statement to be true.

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In my humble opinion, a person is NOT a candidate unless that person is identified by the actual name said person intends to use when contesting the election.

At this time within the local election cycle, all valid candidates have been clearly identified on the Statement of Nominations. Any person whose name is not on that statement is clearly, definitely and lawfully NOT a candidate within the meaning of the law. This applies even to anonymous posters on this blog.

Ted, that was very irresponsible of you. I told you previously that I am a bloke so I cannot possibly be Cllr Rabina Khan. Terry Fitzpatrick thinks I am Marc Francis.

By way of clarity, I am not a councillor. I am not involved in the election campaign in TH in any shape or form. I am not actively involved in national or local politics either. I simply do not have the time.

Ted, please do not try to second guess who I might be. It is not a condition that I should identify myself to post comments here. I know that some people post comments using their real names while the vast majority use a pseudonym to remain anonymous. I also prefer to do the latter.

Call me old-fashioned – and people do – but I believe if you are not prepared to put your name to things you say in public you probably shouldn’t be saying them.
Yours
Soon to be ex Councillor Gardiner

Its the message, not the messenger, that is important and I’ve been posting that for at least the last 20 years.

Personally I dislike all those who gleefully call themselves Councillor Bloggs or whatever surname they are using. Councillors remain ordinary members of the public who ought not to inflated their already bloated egos with an exaggerated whiff of their own perceived importance to humanity.

Curious Cat
(writing as a former councillor who always told everyone to call me by my forename or Mr xxxxx – the choice is yours – but don’t call me Councillor xxxxxx)

No, indeed, far better to let The Despicable Rahman take the borough forward to something akin to North Korea, where deceit, theft and rampant cronyism are encouraged, a close coterie are constantly rewarded for doing nothing, where those of his clan are handed all the resources, where rape and criminal behaviour is encouraged and where the incompetent and self-serving leader smiles benevolently down from every hoarding, newspaper and letterhead funded by the workers.

Vote for Labour, in order that Tower Hamlets may avoid this dark future. And tell your friends, neighbours and family in order that they too should avoid taking LBTH on to misery.

You are indeed right; Labour is far from ideal. However that is one of the ironies of this election; while they got us into this mess they are also the ones who are most likely to get us out of it, and they are likely to be better than The Despicable Rahman (hey – they couldn’t be worse! And Tower Hamlets First will doubtless brand me ‘disloyal’ for saying so.)

Voting Labour goes against every fibre of my being, but getting Rahman out has to be the priority.

This is England where English language and customs should dominate ‘cos its England – not a foreign country. One has to adopt the host country’s laws, language, customs and living standards. If I can do it, having lived in other countries, you should be able to do it too.

No thanks… I’d like to stick to my own culture, beliefs and customs. Anyway what’s calling some “son” got to do with living standards and all the other malarkey you mentioned. Nice to see people like you bow down to your colonial masters. Each to their own I suppose…

I’ve lived in Tower Hamlets for over 30 years and have always voted for the person rather than the party in local elections. I will not be voting for a mayor or local councillor today because the choice is very poor. Labour and Lutfur are as vile as each other. The other candidates have no chance.

It’s a shame that the TH Labour Party’s strategy over the years was to use piss poor people for councillors just to gurantee the Bengali vote.

And now it’s blown up in their face with one of their “own” challenging them for the second time using all the dirty tricks he learnt as a Labour Councillor.

Labour arrogantly abused the public’s interest for the sole pursuit of political power Smug, crap Labour didn’t care a damn about the public.

Instead of serving the public with humility and respect, they thought themselves superior and swagged about with grossly inflated egos to compensate for their brain cell deficiencies, lack of scruples and rejection of the true notion of Public Service.

Shameful TH Labour – ignored by the Labour hierarchy because Labour just don’t care about people – except at election times.

It really is time for a TH Residents Party to emerge and contest local elections throughout the whole of LBTH. No good moaning on the Internet. All you
armchair critics need to work together for a TH Residents Party. If you genuinely want change and improvements you have to work for it.